1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to light emitting diode (LED) bar systems, and more particularly, to a light emitting diode bar system that produces lower measured levels of electromagnetic interference (EMI).
2. Description of Related Art
Generally, a xerography system forms a latent image charge pattern on a uniformly charged or charge-retentive or photo-conductive member possessing dielectric characteristics. Pigmented marking particles are attracted to the latent image charge pattern and develop the image on the photo-conductive member. A receiver, for example a piece of paper or other such medium, comes into contact with the photo-conductive member where an electric field is applied to transfer the marking particle developed image to the receiver from the photo-conductive member. Once the marking particles are transferred to the receiver, the image is fixed by heat and pressure to produce a permanent image upon the receiver.
The photo-conductive member is exposed to radiation in a pattern corresponding to a scanned image, thereby forming the latent image charge pattern. The exposure may be performed optically or electronically. Optically, a reflected light image of the image to be reproduced may be optically focused on the uniformly charged photo-conductive member to bias the charge in an image-wise pattern. Electronically, a light-emitting device, such a light-emitting diode (LED) array, may be activated according to appropriate electrical signals to bias the uniform charge on the dielectric member to form the desired image-wise charge pattern. The individual diodes generate light energy that passes through a fiber optic lens assembly onto the surface of a moving photoconductor with sufficient intensity to locally discharge the surface of the photoconductor and establish a charge pattern on the photoconductor surface that models a desired visual image pattern.
Individual LEDs are low power output devices. A bar system, or an array, of LEDs may be used to increase the output of power and to simplify the design of xerography systems. The LED bar system is fabricated to have the LEDs in a single substrate to produce good optical alignment and minimize the overall assembly.
The individual LEDs are usually arranged in the bar system where each individual LED produces an individual exposed pixel on a moving photoreceptor to an exposure value defined by the video data information applied to the drive circuits of the bar systems. The photorecptor advances in the process direction in order to provide an image by the formation of successive scan lines.
In a color xerographic printer, several LED bar systems may be positioned adjacent to a photoreceptor belt surface and are individually energized to create consecutive image exposures. If two bars are utilized, there is usually one highlight color and one black color. Full color printing uses one bar for each of the basic colors, cyan, magenta, and yellow, and a fourth bar for black.
Typical LED pixel times for high speed printers are on the order of about 10 to about 100 nanoseconds.
An LED bar system uses digital circuits requiring one or more clocks to synchronize the process. For example, individual LEDs in the bar system are turned on or not turned on in response to a signal corresponding to a digital image. The signal processed by the clock allows for the precise timing of activating the individual LEDs of the array to establish a charge pattern on the moving photoreceptor that is identical to the scanned image.
Such digital circuits and LED bar systems are vulnerable to the formation and emanation of electromagnetic interference (EMI). EMI is a measure of the amount of interference an electronic device imposes upon another such device. Typically, the spectral analysis of EMI emissions indicates that EMI emissions have peak amplitudes at harmonics of the clock circuit""s fundamental frequency. Thus, the federal government has established maximum allowable emissions of EMI due to the disruption that can be caused to neighboring digital circuits.
In the case of LED printing systems, the LED printer speed is proportional to the amount of EMI emissions. Thus, as the LED printer speeds increase, the emissions of EMI will also increase. The greatest threat of EMI emissions in a LED printing system arises from the actual LED bar array.
Present methods of transferring data into a LED bar system include using massive parallel cabling that connects each pixel to one I/O line. The data rate transfer in such a system is low and does not pose an EMI threat. However, the cabling used is large, bulky, and costly. The cost and bulk of such cabling may be reduced by multiplexing the LED pixels and serially loading the pixel data. The number of data lines and number of pixels multiplexed per line determine the data and clock rates required. The serial connection cables may be more expensive because of the shielding required. There are design tradeoffs in using either parallel or serial cabling to reduce EMI emissions.
Compliance with regulations for the reduction of EMI emissions can be costly. Past attempts to reduce EMI has included suppression measures and shielding. There have even been successful attempts of precise routing of signal traces on printed circuit boards to minimize loops and other potential radiation structures. Ultimately, each of these methods has an increased financial and design burden.
A technique being examined and used in reducing EMI emissions within personal computers is a spread spectrum technique. This technique may be a cost-effective means to control clock-generated EMI emissions in personal computers. The technique reduces EMI emissions by varying or modulating the frequency of clocks in the personal computer. The EMI emissions are then spread over a range of frequencies rather than being concentrated at a particular frequency and its harmonics. The same overall EMI energy is still emitted, but it occurs over a range of different frequencies.
The current techniques of shielding and cabling LED bar systems to reduce EMI emissions are bulky and expensive. A more cost effective technique of reducing EMI emissions from LED bar systems used in image reproduction (i.e., xerographical devices) is needed.
In view of the foregoing background, it is an object of the present invention to reduce the EMI emitted from an LED bar system in a cost effective manner.
These and other objects are achieved by the present invention, which embodiments reduce EMI emissions from an LED bar system by modulating the clock signal slightly in frequency. This is known in the art as spread spectrum. The resulting spectrum of a modulated clock signal will have a lower peak value because the energy is distributed among neighboring frequencies. The overall energy emitted from the system is the same, but the peak energy at any particular frequency is reduced.
In embodiments, the present invention also comprises a light emitting diode bar system, and a clock circuit for generating a clock output signal, and a spread spectrum clock generator for generating a clock output signal with reduced peak electromagnetic interference spectral components. The clock circuit may be coupled to an oscillator and the spread spectrum clock generator. The clock circuit is responsible for the timing of particular signals so the system""s functions are properly synchronized. For example, in the present invention, the individual LEDs of the bar system are turned on and/or off in accordance with the clock times generated by the clock circuit.
The oscillator generates a reference frequency signal and the spread spectrum clock generator generates a spread spectrum clock output signal wherein there is a fundamental or central frequency and a reduction in EMI spectral components at harmonics of the fundamental frequency.